Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
Most disappointing mid-movie collapse you've ever seen?
Main Post:
I’m talking about movies that start strong with great concept, characters and then halfway through, they either fall apart or just forget what made them interesting in the first place.
For me, it’s Reminiscence (2021). The premise is incredible. A memory-retrieval noir set in a flooded Miami. Feels like Blade Runner fanfic set in the world of Inception.
But halfway through, it just evaporates. The plot turns into a sluggish romance, the mystery fizzles, and Hugh Jackman ends up swimming through people’s memories in a tank. All the momentum vanishes in a haze of voiceovers, flashbacks, and unnecessary monologues about time.
Not talking about movies that were bad from the start, I mean the ones that trick you into thinking they’re about to be amazing. What’s your pick?
Top Comment: Probably Downsizing. Really interesting concept and first half, totally changes direction and loses any interest in the second half.
Why aren't movie theaters selling movie swag and merch?
Main Post:
I go to the movie theater 2-4 times a month. It's a Cinemark, and they have 300 locations in the US.
If the movie is good, I leave wishing I could have bought a t-shirt, poster, a ballcap, keyring, or some stickers--almost anything. All they have is junk food, and arcade games for sale--those seem to do well, I guess--but where's the merch? I would never buy junk food, but I would buy a poster. Why are they foregoing my money? Isn't it a big, ongoing problem that movies are failing to make enough money for the studio?
By the time I get home, I've either forgotten I wanted some swag, or the feeling has worn off and I am not motivated enough to go look for it online.
My theater seems to have a lot of free floor space, where mini kiosks / checkouts of swag would fit, or just fit it behind the counter with the candy and popcorn.
I don't get why there isn't movie merch at the movie theater.
There has to be a reason. What am I missing?
Top Comment: Regal has started doing this. The success of gimmicky cups and popcorn tins has inspired them, I assume. Last time I went, they had Superman t-shirts and capes and Jurassic World Funko Pops
What's a movie you'd expect all americans to have watched like it's part of the culture?
Main Post:
In Egypt, for example, I'd expect all Egyptians to have watched one or more Ahmed Helmy movies. It's like being familiar with certain movie scenes and using them as puns is something all Egyptians do 🤷🏻😂
Top Comment: The Wizard of Oz used to be a bit of a touchstone, but culture is so personalized now that we don't have many things that permeate to universality. Even the "huge" movies of today aren't the landmark events that Star Wars or Jaws were.
What are some movies that had their box office significantly hurt because of a real life event?
Main Post:
What are some movies that you would say flopped, or at least just lost a lot of potential money, because of a real life event that would turn people off from going to see it? Nothing to do with the movies own merits, just the real life event. Something released during COVID obviously doesn’t count.
I think the Dark Knight Rises is a good example. It had a massive amount of hype before release after the goodwill left over from the Dark Knight, and was potentially tracking for a $200 million domestic opening, which would make it only the second one to do that after the Avengers a month earlier.
But then the Aurora shooting at a theatre screening it happened and a few people died, and it definitely stopped a lot of people from going to watch it. It opened lower than projections, and only barely outgrossed the Dark Knight worldwide while making less domestically.
I don’t think the shooting effected the overseas box office, but it definitely hurt domestic. Would have at least outgrossed the Dark Knight without it and could have maybe challenged the Avengers for biggest domestic movie of 2012 (but not worldwide)
What other movies were hurt by real life events like this?
Top Comment: I think 9/11 hurt some movies
What’s the most unintentionally funny “serious” movie scene you’ve ever watched?
Main Post:
We’ve all seen films that were meant to be deadly serious intense dramas, crime sagas, prestige pictures only to stumble into moments that felt straight out of parody. Maybe it’s the acting, maybe the dialogue, or maybe just the way the scene was staged. Instead of crying, you laugh; instead of tension, you get comedy. For me, it’s Pacino in Heat suddenly exploding with “She’s got a GREAT ASS!” in the middle of an otherwise stone-cold serious film. Another one that always cracks me up is Daniel Day Lewis screaming “I drink your milkshake!” in There Will Be Blood. What’s the one scene that completely broke the tone for you?
Top Comment: Brad Pitt getting killed in Meet Joe Black
Local theater is doing a 'forgotten films' marathon: what's a movie you always recommend but nobody's heard of?
Main Post:
My local theater is doing a 'forgotten films' marathon and I want to suggest some truly underrated movies from the late 90s to early 2000s. Looking for films that deserved way more attention but got overshadowed by blockbusters. I'm thinking quality dramas or thrillers that critics loved but audiences missed. What's a movie you always recommend but nobody's heard of?
Top Comment: A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (1990) with Michael Caine, Peter Riegert, Elizabeth McGovern, and Will Patton. Just a really fun, dark little comedy with Caine having an absolute blast as a man who discovers a great way to get that promotion he deserved.